LAKE BIWA

We gather in Nagahama for a welcome dinner featuring Lake Biwa's most iconic specialties. This is our first taste of the region's distinctive culinary heritage, preparing us for the next few days of culinary exploration. For those arriving early, Kurokabe Square beckons with its atmospheric lanes of black-walled Meiji-era storehouses that once served as the commercial gateway between isolated mountain communities and Lake Biwa's bustling trade routes. Today this preserved merchant quarter is filled with glass workshops, craft galleries, and traditional shops, offering your first glimpse into the artisanal culture that defines this corner of Japan.

Included: Dinner, Accommodation

We spend the day uncovering the preservation techniques that allowed mountain communities to thrive through brutal winters, beginning at Myorakuji Temple where a hands-on workshop reveals the foundations of fermentation culture. Our journey through fermentation continues at family-run soy sauce makers and sake breweries. Witness centuries-old methods still practiced in wooden vats and traditional koji rooms, the air thick with the sweet-salty aroma of transformation. As evening falls, we gather for a dinner celebrating Omi beef, one of Japan's three legendary wagyu breeds raised in these very mountains, the perfect conclusion to a day spent exploring how preservation shaped this region's identity.

Included: Cooking class with lunch, Food & sake production facility visits, Dinner, Accommodation

We begin by ferrying to sacred Chikubu Island, a UNESCO-designated temple complex rising from Lake Biwa's heart, where you'll explore at your own pace before returning to Nagahama for yakisaba somen, the region's distinctive dish of mackerel and noodles simmered in intensely flavored broth that tells the story of the ancient Saba Kaido trade route. The afternoon brings us to a creative craft brewery operating from a repurposed abandoned school, exemplifying rural Japan's innovative spirit, before we ascend into the mountains to our rustic chalet where dinner features wild bear meat hunted in the surrounding peaks and prepared using traditional methods passed down through generations.

Included: Ferry & entry to Chikubu Island, Lunch, Brewery tour, Dinner, Accommodation

We check out and begin our journey towards Lake Biwa's western shore, where the landscape unfolds in a series of natural wonders: the mirror-like surface of Lake Yogo reflecting the sky, the soaring cathedral of Metasequoia Avenue's towering trees, and roadside stations where we collect stamps and discover local producers' treasures. In Takashima, we’ll visit Kawashima Shuzo, a 140-year-old sake brewery that recently ventured into whisky production, and walk through both traditional brewing rooms and modern distillation facilities, witnessing how family operations honour the past while embracing innovation. The day culminates at one of the region's most celebrated restaurants, where a kaiseki dinner showcases seasonal specialties as the sun sets over Lake Biwa's sacred waters.

Included: Breakfast, Sake brewery tour, Dinner, Accommodation

Our final day begins at Shiga's sole traditional vinegar producer, where Edo-period fermentation methods transform rice into liquid gold over months of patient waiting. We continue to Kitashina Honpo, a 400-year-old funazushi maker, where we'll taste this polarising delicacy of fermented lake fish that predates modern sushi by centuries and remains central to local culinary identity. At Shirahige Shrine, we pause to take in the iconic floating torii gate rising from Lake Biwa's waters before venturing into the mountains to Hata's ancient terraced rice paddies, where premium Omi rice grows on steep hillsides carved by generations of farmers. Our Lake Biwa circuit concludes with drop-off at Takashima Station, completing our journey through Japan's fermentation heartland.

Included: Breakfast, Food production tours, Temple entry, Lunch

Nagahama and Takashima Station are easily accessible by Shinkansen and train service.

Kyoto: roughly 1 hour

Osaka: roughly 1.5 hours

Tokyo: roughly 2.5 hours